Birthday Project 2013--Navajo Word of the Day

[Theresa]

Dá’ák’eh
Garden

Around this time of the year is when you begin preparing one of these: a garden or crop. Historically, Navajo crops were comprised largely of corn, and in some places, peach and apricot orchards were kept. Now, a typical garden includes tomatoes, watermelon, squash, pumpkins, some chili varieties, and more. So the term has expanded from “corn field” to garden (in general).


http://navajowotd.com/post/19443613573/da-ak-eh

[SnoopyDances]

A word I can use!

sorry, I don't have a watermelon smilie.

[Theresa]

A word I can use!

sorry, I don't have a watermelon smilie.

I do.

[SnoopyDances]

A word I can use!

sorry, I don't have a watermelon smilie.

I do.

Awesome! You have smilie for everything....

[Theresa]

Adą́ą́dą́ą́’
Yesterday

Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ is the Navajo word for ‘yesterday.’

Here’s an example of its usage:

Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ Hoozdohdi be’ak’idgi łóó’ t’óó ahayóí dzíłts’áníghį́!

Yesterday in Phoenix at a pond I made a big catch of fish!

We cheated and threw in a couple extra words that may be new to you. Hoozdoh is the place name for Phoenix, AZ. Be’ak’id is the Navajo word for a pond. Łóó’ means fish in Navajo, and of course t’óó ahayóí means a lot or large amount. And the action word dzíłts’áníghį́ is one we pulled from a reference to making (past tense) a catch.

How would you say you did not catch a lot of fish?


http://navajowotd.com/post/30530928301/adaadaa

[SnoopyDances]

Do they have a word for TGIF? Or weekend?

[Theresa]

How about just plain old Friday?

Nda’iiníísh
Friday

Today’s Navajo word is everybody’s favorite: Friday.

Technically, you may hear this word also said like this, “Ashdla’ajį́ nda’anish.” The first part of the phrase contains jį́ (today), and ashdla’ (which is the number five), so it approximates to “the fifth day.” The latter part of the phrase contains the particle -nish in reference to work, or working, preceded by the particle nda- which can mean no, or none, and in this case (the) end.

Nda’iiníísh is the more common way to say Friday in Navajo.

Phrase: Díí jį́ éí Nda’iiníísh. Today is Friday.


http://navajowotd.com/post/19390885112/nda-iiniish

[Theresa]

Ya’iishjááshchilí
June

It’s the beginning of the month of June! Being as such, today’s word is the Navajo name for June.

Technically speaking the meaning of ya’iishjááshchilí is little corn tassles. If you recall, the season for dá’ák’eh began a few weeks ago. Now, they should be showing tassles, but not big ones because they still have to grow.

Being that the area in and around the Navajo Nation is in its 19th year of drought conditions, it’s okay if your corn fields are a little late in getting started.


http://navajowotd.com/post/24216463510/ ... jaashchili

[Theresa]

Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ (Yesterday) I had no power the whole day, so there was no word of the day. So....díí jį́ (today) I'll post Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ 's word and díí jį́ 's word. I'll be back on track yiską́ągo (tomorrow).

Whew...got that?

Díí jį́
Today

Literally: this day.

Use díí jį́ to refer to today. Like previous words, you can break díí jį́ into two other Navajo words.

Namely, díí means this, or these. Further, jį́ means day.

Díí jį́ éiyá Monday.

[note: éiyá and its shorter version éí are phonetic filler words; they’re almost like respected ‘ums’ and ‘uhhs’..you’ll see examples in the coming weeks.]


http://navajowotd.com/post/18784670542/diiji

[Theresa]

Yiską́ągo
Tomorrow

Your Navajo word for today is tomorrow.

“Tomorrow.”

Alternatively, the word can be yiską́o.

Additionally, yiską́ damóo (or yiską́ damį́įgo) is the word for Saturday.


http://navajowotd.com/post/29493191614/yiskaago

Example: “Yiską́ągo Monument Valleygóó doogááł.” (note: doogááł is the “future” tense of “to go”)

[Theresa]

Not just a single word today...but conversation starters.

How to Start Conversations in the Navajo Language
-daybreakwarrior

When people want to learn conversational Navajo, they always want to learn how to say, "How are you doing?" There are ways to say this, namely:

Hait'áo naniná?
Haa lá ánít'é?

You can ask these but they're not usually conversation starters. These are used if you know the person is not emotionally doing well or physically sick or something.

A better way to begin a conversation is to use the starter, "ąą́." This phrase literally means "open up," but can also mean like, "tell me about it." It can be used alone in the right scenario or used in combination with starter questions:

ąą́' ha'íí baa naniná? (What are you doing?)

ąą́ ha'íí baa nídinídzá? (What will you be doing?)

ąą́ ha'íí baa nisíníyá? (What were you doing?)

ąą́' háágóó díníya? (Where are you going?)

ąą́' háágóó nisíníyá? (Where did you go?)

ąą́ háádéé'? (Where are you from?)

ąą́ háádéé'ísh yínááł? (Where you coming from?)

ąą́ ha'íí baa dahane'? (What's the news?)

ąą́ ha'íí daha'ní? (What's the gossip?)

ąą́ ha'íí hodoo'niid? (What was said?)

ąą́ ha'íí? (What's up?)

All of these can be used without the starter ąą́ but sounds more polite when used with it. Any questions... ask!

[youtube]SwhQUJW2aY0[/youtube]

[Buster]

Thanks so much for the language lessons - I especially like finding out about the niceties of respectful language.

[Theresa]

Hashk’aan
Banana

Hashk’aan is the Navajo word for banana.

If you were wondering how the Navajo people have a word for a fruit that isn’t native to the region, it’s because hashk’aan is also a word for the fruit of the yucca plant. The yucca plant itself is something that is abundant across the desert region.

Additionally, if you were to say Hashk’aan hadzohí you’d be referring to one of the Navajo clans. This translates approximately to yucca-fruit-strung-out-on-a-line.


http://navajowotd.com/post/25027818362/hashk-aan

[SnoopyDances]

Thanks so much for the language lessons - I especially like finding out about the niceties of respectful language.

[Theresa]

Deesdoi
Hot

Deesdoi is the Navajo word for extremely warm, or hot.

Temperature-wise, it’s a relative term that is used to speak about the weather, or an area/space. This term is not used to describe things that are hot to the touch, like a cup of hot coffee or a grill.

“Shił deesdoi” (I am hot), is one way that you can say that the air is hot (to you).


http://navajowotd.com/post/26502347797/deesdoi